


Rin's Journey

by Bougainvilleaz



Category: Evillious Chronicles
Genre: F/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-30
Updated: 2015-05-30
Packaged: 2018-04-01 23:44:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4039171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bougainvilleaz/pseuds/Bougainvilleaz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In her journey in search of love, Rin chances upon an individual who happens to share her appearance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ten Minutes of Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! Just a little something I came up with. The Rin in this fic is the one in mothy's debut song, Ten Minutes of Love! I also headcanon this Rin to be the one in South North Story. For this fic, I decided to divert from my usual writing style in an attempt to evoke mothy's austere style and give everything a Japanese light novel vibe. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy!

Rin waited at the bus stop near her apartment. It was particularly chilly today, she noted. The wind was blowing her blonde hair towards one direction. She couldn’t see anyone else on the street - as to be expected, since it was so early in the morning.

She could have chosen not to take the bus to school. It wasn’t like her family couldn’t afford it. In fact, her twin brother was driven by a chauffeur to school every morning.

Rin chose to take the bus. She told her parents she liked looking at the people who rode it, observing and drawing them in her sketch book. She was lying. Her real reason was something else, something very different from what her parents thought.

She wanted to see him.

Rin didn’t know his name, or even how old he was. But she did know a lot of other things about him.

She knew that he took the E line at 6:00 every morning and got on at the same stop where she was. She also knew that he got off at the very next stop. She even measured the time it took to get between the stop where they got on and where he got off.

Exactly ten minutes. That was all the time she had.

This wasn’t the first time she rode the bus with him. Rin first saw him get on in her car while it passed by the bus stop - that was several months ago. You could say it was love at first sight, but Rin didn’t harbor those kind of romantic notions about love. One thing, however, was certain: she had fallen in love with him.

From that day on, Rin began taking the bus to school, every single day. She didn’t care that she only got to see him for ten minutes every morning. For her, that was more than enough. Even if she couldn’t bring herself to even speak to him.

The sound of the bus’ wheels snapped Rin out of her thoughts. Quite a number of people had already queued behind her, mostly students and office workers.

“He’s still not here,” she thought to herself.

Of course, this wasn’t something unexpected. He probably lived quite far from the bus stop, which was why he took so long to get there. Him getting on at the last minute wasn’t unusual.

The doors opened. There were already numerous people on board. Rin stepped onto the vehicle, looking past her shoulder every few seconds. After paying the bus fare, she sat down on the nearest available seat, on the same side as the entrance. Someone else sat down to her, but she didn’t really notice.

As the bus began to fill up with people, Rin looked expectantly at the bus’ entrance. Still not here. Rin decided to wait a little longer and looked out the window. In the distance, she could make out the silhouette of someone running at full speed. A teenager, by the looks of it.

It was him. She knew from the color of his blazer, the way he held his bag.

The doors were already closing. Thankfully, he was able to get on. Since it was cold that day, he didn’t sweat, although he was breathing heavily. The ten minutes begin now, Rin thought.

Again, Rin didn’t know much about him. But she did know that he always wore his blazer unbuttoned, probably because of how broad his shoulder were. She knew he always listened to music while on the bus, but with only one earbud in his ear. She knew that his dimples would show every time he cracked a grin, usually at whatever book he was reading. She knew that he always combed his brown hair to the right.

Rin wished she could talk to him. But she was way too shy. They didn’t even know each other. Despite this, she wished she could someday muster the courage and say hi.

The bus stopped at the traffic light. Rin looked at her watch; four minutes had already passed. She liked it this way, the stoplight was like her warning that the ten minutes were around halfway over.

She also liked it because it let her savor the moment of being on the same bus as him. Even though her thoughts often drifted to other topics, the stoplight always brought her back to the present.

Rin looked at him. They were so close - only about two meters apart from each other. And yet, she felt so far away. They were complete strangers, that was something she often reminded herself.

“Will we ever end up speaking?” she wondered.

Rin felt the bus start going up an incline. They were already at the hill. She looked at her watch: three minutes left. The ten minutes was almost over.

The chime began ringing. The bus soon arrived at his stop. As the doors began opening, Rin couldn’t feel any more helpless. She wanted to reach out her hand or ask him to stay, but she couldn’t. This was his stop, after all.

Seeing him make his way through the people, Rin thought about the ride. It felt so long and at the same time, so short. She wished it would last longer. When there was heavy traffic, Rin felt especially lucky, even though the ride only ended up lasting around five minutes longer.

The doors were open now. He got off at his stop, jumping onto the pavement with a characteristic spring to his step. Rin looked out the window and watched him as he entered a nearby building - probably his school.

I guess that’s it, she thought. Another ten minutes, come and gone. Oh well, she always had tomorrow. It wasn’t like she was never going to see him again.

Someday, she’d be able to tell him. She’d be able to tell him how she felt, how he made her feel. But that day didn’t seem to be anytime soon.

Until that day comes, this stays...

———A ten minutes’ love.


	2. South North Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin tracks down her mysterious doppelganger in a faraway city.

Three days had passed.

Rin stood in front of one of the busiest areas in Jakoku. The district of Shiroku was known for its intersection, which was named after the city itself. Two major streets diverged at what was known as Shiroku Crossing - witnessing the sea of people moving in different directions was truly a sight to behold.

Rin looked up at the cloudless sky. “I wonder, what are the chances of seeing her again?” she thought.

She was looking for someone. A girl, a complete stranger in fact, whom she happened to see while touring Shiroku. The girl stood out from the enormous crowd of people walking along the street.

It was because she looked exactly like Rin.

Rin had heard of the Elphegortean concept of a “doppelganger”, a person who resembles you that walks the Earth. That girl must have been hers, she thought.

That was several months ago. In spite of that, the incident remained in Rin’s memory. She needed to see her again, which is why she travelled back to Shiroku when the opportunity presented itself. Shiroku was extremely far from the city Rin lived in, located a great distance north. Rin was fortunate that Shiroku was also known for its train station.

The crossing signal lit up, indicating people could now cross. With her heart full of doubt, Rin reluctantly began walking to the opposite sidewalk. She began searching for the mysterious girl, wishing desperately to the high heavens that she would encounter her again.

Rin’s eyes darted from left to right to left again. She was getting dizzy; looking at all the moving people certainly didn’t help. She was ready to give up.

And then there she was. The mysterious girl who resembled Rin.

Rin eyed her, observing every detail of her appearance. She looked like her twin - same hair, same facial features. She was even wearing the exact same outfit, down to the white hair ribbon.

After what felt like minutes of observing her, Rin noticed the girl was staring at her as well. Maintaining eye contact, Rin tried to open her mouth. “Just say something, anything,” she thought.

“Good morning,” she eventually said.  
“Good morning,” the girl replied.  
“How do you do.”  
“How do you do.”

“How are you feeling?” the two of them said in unison.

The other girl continued in the direction she walking. She gestured for Rin to follow her. Not knowing what she was getting into, Rin quickened her place and trotted after her.

The two of them eventually arrived at a park area. Although it wasn’t that large, the park still gave off a feeling of openness. Stone benches and enclosures filled with roses dotted the verdant space.

The mysterious girl sat down, shortly before Rin followed suit. Rin’s heart was pounding - this moment didn’t feel real, almost like a dream. An awkward silence permeated the air as the girls waited for one another to speak.

Observing the girl more closely, Rin noticed subtle differences between them. Her hair was more neatly-combed and was just a little bit longer. Her figures were sharper and more elegant than Rin’s. She also conducted herself differently; her back was arched and her movements were more graceful and poised. On the whole, the girl had an air of regality.

——Almost as if she was a princess.

“Why do you look like me.”  
“—Huh?”  
“You heard me, I don’t need to ask again.”  
“I… don’t know either.”

The other girl eyed Rin. The look on her face was hard to read, although she seemed to be both confused on judgmental. Rin wondered why she was so calloused and rude, when earlier they were both exchanging pleasantries.

“What is this place?” the girl asked.  
“You don’t know?”  
“That’s why I’m asking.”  
“It’s Shiroku Station! I’m surprised you don’t know.”  
“Well, I don’t,” the other girl replied. Suddenly, her expression changed just a little. Instead of looking judgmental, she looked sad and confused.  
“Look, I just don’t know where I am,” she continued. “And I need to get back home.”  
“Where is your home?” Rin asked.  
“...Lucifenia.”

Rin wasn’t surprised. Judging by her blonde hair and blue eyes, the girl was of Lucifenian descent, just like herself.

“That’s pretty far,” Rin remarked. “Would you like to tell me your name?”  
The girl was staring off into the distance. Rin wondered if she had heard her.  
“Oh, sorry. My name’s Rin.”  
“No way! That’s my name too!”  
“Really…? In that case, you should call me by my real name.”  
“What is it?”  
“Riliane.”

Riliane --- It was an incredibly regal name. Rin remembered reading that name before. Years ago, in one of her grade school history textbooks.

Then it hit her. The Lucifenian tyrant, deposed and executed in the country’s revolution—— Riliane Lucifen d’Autriche. Rin wondered why Riliane’s parents named her after someone so horrid and despicable. Maybe they liked the way it sounded? Either way, the name seemed to suit her - she was quite terrifying.

“...I’m thirsty. Is there a drink machine near here?”  
“I think there’s one over there,” Rin said as she pointed to one nearby.  
“Let’s go, then.”

After they arrived, Rin fed the machine a bill and got a soda. Riliane did the same, except getting a bottle of sparkling water. Maybe they weren’t that alike, Rin thought. Sipping their drinks, the two of them walked back to where they were sitting.

“So why do you think we met?” Rin asked, sipping her soda.  
“Beats me. I think it’s fate.”  
“Yeah…"

Rin looked around the park. Nobody really noticed them, they probably thought they were identical twins or something. It all felt so surreal, meeting someone who looked exactly like her, at the exact same spot where she first saw her.

What were the chances?

Riliane began eyeing Rin again.  
“We could switch places and no one would notice.”  
Rin looked at her. She was cracking a smile.  
“Is this her idea of a joke?” Rin thought.  
“Haha, yeah…” she eventually replied.  
Rin’s eyes met Riliane’s. The two of them smiled at each other.  
“Are you a student?” Riliane asked.  
“Yeah. Aren’t you?”  
“—No, I just bought this. I thought it looked cute.”  
Rin giggled a little. She didn’t seem so scary anymore.

The two of them began talking about anything and everything. Even though Rin barely knew her, it felt so easy for her to open up about her life to Riliane. Hours passed, and by that time she had practically told her her entire life story. Rin narrated her happiest experience: getting a perfect score on a test when she was in second grade. She also shared her saddest experience - when she was in the fifth grade, her apartment lost electricity just as she was about to finish cramming a report due the following day.

However, her experiences paled in contrast to Riliane’s. Riliane told her about a time when she and her brother were small, they would sneak out of the house to play at the beach nearby. She also told her how, after her brother died, she desperately made a wish; writing her wish on a piece of paper, she put it inside a bottle and threw it into the sea. Rin was about to cry by the time she finished that story.

Rin told her about how she was a just student in the south. Riliane told her that she brought a country to its closure in the north.

Rin felt guilty about not sharing something personal. Riliane had told her so many things about her, harmful things if said to the wrong person. She decided to tell her about the boy she saw every morning on the bus, how she could only be with him for ten minutes.

“You don’t know him?” Riliane asked, her body language now more relaxed and open.  
“No, we’re total strangers…” Rin nervously replied.  
“I think you should talk to him.”  
“Why do you say that?”  
“If you have feelings for him, wouldn’t the most direct way to let him know be to talk to him?”  
“—How? I’m way too shy,” Rin said.  
“Just go up to him and say hello. That’s what you did to me.”  
“Yeah, but you and he are different!” Rin exclaimed. “I… Like him.”  
Riliane was silent for a while.  
“...I see,” she finally said.  
“I just wish I was brave enough to talk to him.”  
“I don’t see why you're so scared!”  
“What if he finds me weird?”  
“Look,” Riliane said, looking into Rin’s eyes. “You. Are Pretty.”  
“——I am?”  
“Yes. And you know why?”  
“Why?”  
Riliane brushed her hair back and smirked.  
“Because you look like me,” she declared.  
The two of them laughed so hard, there were tears in their eyes.

By the time they finished talking, it was already sunset.  
“Oh wow, I should really get going,” Rin said.  
“Me too, I guess.”  
“We should get together again someday! Do you have a cellphone?”  
“No, sorry.”  
“Well, then buy one!”  
“Ugh, fine…” Riliane said, brushing her off.  
“Here, I’ll give you my phone number,” Rin said.  
“—I don’t think that’s needed.”  
“Hmm?”  
“If fate brought us together today, I’m sure it can bring us together once again.”  
“But… You said you have to go home!”  
“I doubt there’s a family waiting for me there…” A look of sadness returned to Riliane’s face. To Rin, she seemed so strong, and yet so broken.  
“Besides,” Riliane continued. “I have a friend here now.”  
Rin smiled. Truly, she had found a friend in Riliane as well.  
“Uhm, my train’s about to get here in a while.”  
“Alright. Bye Rin.”  
The two of them hugged each other tightly.  
“Let’s meet again. At this same intersection,” she said.  
Riliane accompanied Rin to the train station. Boarding the train, Rin watched her, crowded between the people. As the train began to move, Riliane became smaller and smaller, her face nearly just a dot in the distance.

Rin was certain they would meet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand that's it for Chapter 2! We got two Rins, how fitting. Also, in case you didn't get it, Shiroku is inspired by Shibuya station. The name is also a pun, composed of the Japanese characters shi ("four") and roku ("six"). 4+6=10. As in, Ten Minutes of Love! Hahaha, I'm so funny. :P


End file.
